By Dapo Akinrefon, Anayo Okoli, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Peter Duru, Ibrahim Hassan & Daniel Abia
The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF; the Middle Belt Forum, MBF; Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the convener of the Niger Delta Self-Determination Movement, NDSM, Ann Kio Briggs, have reacted to Vice President Kashim Shettima’s comments on corruption and federalism.
Read Also: Corruption, not federalism, is Nigeria’s greatest threat – Shettima
The Vice President, yesterday, insisted that corruption, and not true federalism, was Nigeria’s major problem.
He also faulted those who hold the view that federalism was not working in Nigeria, saying there was no perfect federalism in the world.
Shettima spoke at the 17th Edition of the Leadership Annual Conference and Award, held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.
He listed the mismanagement of the country’s resources as another factor that has retarded the nation’s progress over the years.
Senator Shettima, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event attended by top industry and political players and foreign diplomats, cautioned against the temptation of romanticizing foreign systems or prescribing imported solutions that fail to account for our distinct social, ethnic, and demographic complexities.
His words: “The problems we attribute to our federal system often stem from the poor management of what is already within our grasp, not from any inherent flaw in our constitutional architecture.
“The issue is not merely how much each federating unit accrues, but how judiciously such resources are utilised.
“This administration is confronting this challenge directly. We have chosen the path of reform. It is bold, often difficult, but necessary.
“One such step is our unflinching pursuit of local government autonomy-a vision we are realising through the sanctity of due legal process.
“The recent Supreme Court pronouncements in favour of autonomy underscore our commitment to building a federal structure that works for the grassroots. This is how we make the federation functional: by bringing governance closer to the people.
“To those who argue that Nigeria’s federalism is fundamentally flawed because of its fiscal nature, I urge caution. Federalism, as practised around the world, is not a one-size-fits-all system.
“There is no universal template. Each country’s federal arrangement is shaped by its history, culture, and political experience.
“In Canada, for instance, federalism emerged as a compromise between linguistic groups. In Germany, the structure was initially so decentralised that consensus from all 16 Länder was required to pass national policies-until reforms in 2006 shifted powers for greater efficiency.
“Spain, despite its fiscal concessions to regions like the Basque Country and Navarre, still contends with separatist agitations.
“What these examples show is that no federal system is perfect. Every federation evolves, reforming to meet its unique realities. Nigeria is no exception.
“We must resist the temptation to romanticise foreign systems or prescribe imported solutions that fail to account for our distinct social, ethnic, and demographic complexities.
“What we seek, therefore, is not a photocopy of another country’s model, but a federal structure tailored to our aspirations. It must reflect our values, ensure accountability, and foster development at all levels. The only road to such a destination is through sincere dialogue, and this conference is a laudable example.
“Our national experience has shown, time and again, that the greatest threats to our progress have stemmed from the mismanagement of resources and corruption.
“What matters most to everyday Nigerians-whether in Asaba or Sokoto-is not the abstract theory of federalism but whether governance delivers water, electricity, schools, roads, and hospitals.
“So, while we compare notes on how to improve our federalism, we must not lose sight of the dysfunctions that have been allowed to fester under the current system. If we at the national level deliver on our promises,
Chairman of Leadership Group, Mrs Zainab Nda-Isaiah, called for a shift in how excellence is celebrated in Nigeria, urging that national awards should serve not only as recognition of achievement but also as a catalyst for broader inspiration.
Mrs Nda-Isaiah said, “I don’t think awards and accolades should be about recognition alone,” she said. “More than that, they should also be about inspiration, especially in a harsh global economy where dog-eat-dog is the norm.”
Federalism we practice brought about corruption — MBF
Reacting to the Vice President’s remarks, the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, insisted that corruption and not lack of true federalism is Nigeria’s problem.
The National President of MBF, Dr Bitrus Pogu, however, blamed the endemic corruption in the country on to lack of true federalism.
His words: “I am sorry to disagree with the position of the Vice President because the federalism we practice brought about the corruption he is talking about.
“If the system is not correct, that system gives birth to many things that are not correct.
“The federalism we practice is not true federalism and as a result, so many Nigerians from different sections of this country feel the country is indebted to them.
“Since the British handed power to us, many Nigerians feel that we have not yet become a nation. Some people do not even see corruption as corruption. They just see it as taking what you should have had which has been denied you and then you have the opportunity and you are taking it.
“First, all let us correct the structure, let there be true federalism. People will be committed to Nigeria, corruption will go, it is not the other way round.”
It is not true — Ohanaeze
Kicking against the Vice President’s position, the Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo insisted that restructuring would fix the problems confronting the country.
The National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Dr Ezechi Chukwu said: “It is not true that Nigeria’s problem is corruption rather than federalism because it is the anomalous present structure that incubates corruption in our polity.
“We need to get our institutions right before we can consider the ethical premises on which a nation is built. Nigeria needs to get the instructions right, we need to fix our polity from the foundation. When we get it right from the point of institutions and structure, it becomes easy to manage corruption.
“But now that we are operating based on the provision of powers from centrifugal forces without devolving powers, without giving room for fiscal federalism, without giving reasonable financial autonomy to the federating units, it is obvious that we can’t get it right because they ought to be unbundled.
“So in a nutshell, we have to get our foundation right. And the foundation in question here is the institutional federating structure.
“When we get it right, it becomes clear that Nigeria has an efficacious system that can enable it to manage its human, natural and resources.”
Restructuring‘ll curb corruption — Afenifere
Similarly, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, noted that restructuring will solve the many problems facing Nigeria.
Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Jare Ajayi said: “While we acknowledge the fact that corruption is a big problem in Nigeria, it is our position and conviction that if we restructure this country, so many problems confronting this country, including corruption will be addressed substantially.
“We urge the Federal Government to expedite action on restructuring. Corruption is a battle that may be ongoing but it should not be a reason for not restructuring. Restructuring, if properly done will be a one-off thing but corruption is systemic that cannot go away overnight. That is our position.
Govt is biggest enabler of corruption — ACF
When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Prof Tukur Muhammad Baba, said the Vice President said nothing new alleging that government remains the biggest enabler of corruption.
The ACF spokesperson said: “There’s no doubt about the assertion. Corruption is in every facet of life, public, private, at the levels of social, economic processes and structures.
“The Vice President wasn’t saying anything new. The more fundamental thing is, with the admission and high and santimonious declaration, what is the Government that the Shetima is serving doing about to confront the problem head long? In fact, you can say that from glaring evidence, government is the biggest enabler of corruption, aided by everyone, operator of the system. It is very sad.”
Corruption is only part of our problems — Briggs
On her part, the convener of the Niger Delta Self determination Movement, NDSM, Ann Kio Briggs said the lack of true federalism is the reason corruption thrives adding that because politicians feed fat on corruption, they find it difficult to make a process for federalism.
She said: “I disagree with the Vice President. Corruption is only part of our problems. What we need in this country is true federalism. This is what we have been fighting for many years. With true federalism, corruption will reduce drastically. It is only in such a situation that you can see a semblance of a good society.
“What we want is true federalism and it will in turn deal with corruption in its way. We want to control our resources so that we can use them to develop our region.”
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